Thomas s



(Model.)

T. S. SPIVEY.-

Y PBRMUTATION LOCK.

l\T0.372,L198.v Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOIWIAS S. SPIVEY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE VICTOR SAFE AND LOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE. i

PERMUTATIONI-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,498, dated November 1, 1887.

Application tiled May 3, 1987. Serial No. 236,926.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS S. SPIVEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Permutation-Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therLein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to that class ot' perxo mutationflocks whose bolts carry the spindle, driving-disk, andtumblcrs; and the first part of my improvements comprisesaspecic combination of devices whereby a cheap, simple, and perfectly reliable lock is afforded, as hereinafter more fully described.

The second part of my improvements consists in providing the spindle with a permanent and a detachable pointer, the former of which is designed to mislead a burglar by in- 2o dicating a false combination, while the application of the detachable pointer to the spindle enables the owner -or other custodian of the safe to turn the disk and tumblers to the correct combination in a few moments, said pointers being used with any lock having a graduated dial-plate that is either numbered orlettered, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the` dialsplate of my lock, the

3o shank of the spindle being sectioned, theknob of the same being indicated by the dotted circular line and the true pointer being setto show the correct combination of the tumbler-s. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of the lock, taken in the plane of the numerals III and IX of the preceding illustration, the bolt being advanced or shot Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of aportion of thelock-case, the cap detached therefrom, the bolt being retractedI 4o and the gates of the disk and tumbler engaged with the fixed stop. Fig. 4 is a similar elevation, but showing the bolt advanced or locked and the disk and tumbler so shifted as to break the combination. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the slotted end ol' the bolt. Fig. 6 is a sectionized plan showing the method of attaching the inner washer to the tubular tumblerstump. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan of the gated tumbler. Fig. 8 is an enlarged elevation of a por- 5o tion of the front of the spindle-hub, the shank (Model.)

thereof being sectioned. Fig. 9 isa front elevation of a modification ot' my invention. Fig. 10 is an enlarged horizontal section through the same. Fig. ll is a modification of the dial-plate.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents a portion of a drawer or safe door or other lid or cover ing to be securely locked, and B is a dial-plate, secured to the outside of said door by screws b or otherwise, said plate having a circle, b, punched or engraved or permanently inscribed thereon, the Roman numerals I II, &c., being arranged outside of said circle, while graduations radiate inwardly from the same. I prefer making this dial exact-ly like a clockface, the Roman numerals running consecutively from I to XII to indicate hours, while suitable graduations are arranged between each ofsaid numerals, which graduationsare for the minutes, and may be numbered as shown between XII and I. Furthermore, this iiXed dial-plate has a horizontal slot, b, (seen only in Fig. 2,) which slot is traversed by the operat` ing-spindle C, the external portion of which comprises a hub, D, shank E, and handle or knob e, said hub having a false pointer, F, either cast therewith or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. The periphery of hub D has a series of radial screw-threaded sockets, ci', to receive the screw-threaded end of the true pointer G, which latter is usually ashort wire that can be readily carried in a pocket-book, and to more completely disguise its use said wire can be made to resemble an ordinary metallic tooth-piek. These sockets are preferably numbered on the outer face of the hub, eight of such numbers being seen in Fig. l, while twelve are suggested in Fig. 8; but a greater or less number can be used, if desired.

Spindle .C traverses the horizontal slotv e of 9o the door and a similar slot, h, ofthe lock-case IMI, the latter being closed at the back by the cap-plate I; and the inner end of said spindle has a square arbor, c, that carries the drivingdisk J and rotatable washer K, which washer is held in place by a fastener, k. Drivingdisk J has a gate, j, and pin j', which latter operates the shiftable pin l ofthe tumbler L, said tumbler being gated at Z, and having a series of perfor-ations, l, into either one of which loo tumbler-s may be added as the special duty of l the lock requires.

c' in Figs. 2 and 3 represents the fixed stop for the gates to engage with, which stop iS here shown as a screw, wherewith the capplate I is secured to the lock-case H; but in Fig. 4 said stop is shown as a flange or rib, fi',

projecting inwardly from theend of said case. Either of these devices or any other fixed bearing can be used to take the place of said stop. it is a longitudinal slot in the inner endof the bolt N, which slot is of such a size as to clear the bearing or stop z'.

The method of operating this lock is as .follows: Whenvthe bolt N is pulled back, the now coincident gates of the driving-disk, tumbler, and bolt occupy the position seen in Fig. 3 and indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, the screw z' serving as astop that limits the retraction of said bolt. If the knob e is not turned either to the right or left, it is evident the bolt can now bey readily advanced or retracted bythe spindle G for the purpose simply of opening or closing the door; but if it is to be securely locked said bolt must first be shot, and then said knobbe turned indiscriminately so las to scatter or break the combination. This condition of the lock is seen in Fig. 4, wherein it is shown that the gates 7' lare no longer in line with each other. Said illustration shows, also, that the ungated portions of the disk and tumbler bear against the ,stop t', and thereby prevent the boltbeing retracted until the combination is restored. In the present case but one tumbler, L, is used, and it will, for the purpose of illustration, be supposed that the pin Z has been so inserted in said tumbler as to cause the gatesjl to becoincident with the slot a of the bolt only when the true pointer G has been inserted in the socket 5 of the hub D and the handle c turned until said pointer reaches the second graduation or mark beyond the numeral IX, as seen in Fig. l.

The custodian of the safe can keep a record of this combination by makinga very Eine leadpencilmark on his watch or clock directly opposite two minutes past nine, and then simply remembering thatsocket is to be used. Therefore, bearing the number of the socket in his mind or havingitwritten on aslip of paper,and with thetrue pointer G in his pocket orpocketbook and an almost imperceptible record of the combination on his clock-face at home, he feels assured the safe cannot be opened during his absence.

If a clandestine attempt should be made to open the lock, the false pointer F would deceive the burglar, because it can by no means be made to indicate the combination, and if said pointer should be arrested at the second mark beyond the numeral IX the gates would not bein line.` Foiled in this effort, the burglar mightI Whittle a small wooden pin andinsert it in one of the sockets d and then go carefully around the dial-plate without success, because the pin would not always get in the proper socket, and by providing the h-ub with two or three dozen such sockets it would be almost impossible to find the combination; but the custodian of the safe has simply to look at his clock before he leaves home to see that the combination is setat two minutes past nine, and when he arrives athis place of business the true pointer G is taken out of his pocket and screwed into the socket 5. Knob e isnow turned until said pointer reaches the secondgraduation-mark beyond the numeral IX, or, in other words, indicates two minutes past nine, which act brings the gates j andl Iin line with the'slot n of the bolt, and the latter is then retracted, as seen in Fig. 3, and the safe-door is opened.

The above is a description of a very cheap and simple form of my lock having a single tumbler; but if three tumblers should be used three'different combinations would be necessary. They could be arranged thus: the first tumbler for [ive minutes past one; the second tumbler for ten minutes past two, and the third tumbler for fteen minutes pastv three. This arrangement, however, is merely suggestive,

not arbitrary, as the combinations need not be' set in such a regular order; but it is preferred to have them progressive, or, in other words,

to read in the same direction a hand travels around the face of a clock.

Fig. 9 shows another modification of my invention, in which the spindle C carries a wheel, P, that gears with another wheel, R, on a shaft, S, whose outer end has a socketed hub, D, to

receive the true pointer G, the false pointer being omitted. Pointer G travels in front of a dial, B, that is graduated in any suit-able manner, but preferably as shown in Fig. 1, and this dial has two lugs, T T,'the lug T having a screw, t, passed throughit and then engaged with the case U, within which the gearing is inclosed. The other lug, T, is slotted longitudinally at t', to receive a screw,` t5. u is a slot in the case U, to permit the shifting of shaft S. By disengaging the screw t and then slackening the other screw, t, the dial B` and wheel R can be shifted to the left for the purpose of throwing said wheel out of gear with the wheel l?. Wheel R can then be turned the distance of. a single tooth and reengaged with wheel P, thereby adding another change to the combination of the lock, after which act the dial is fastened in place with the screws t t. After all the teeth of wheel R have been used for setting up new combina- IIO Io application the combination-clianging devices seen in Figs. 9 and l0 of the annexed drawings.

A I claim as my inventionl. In combination with a permualion-lock 15 having a slotted case, A (t, and stationary slot ted dial B b, the reciprocating bolt N, fitted within said ease and provided with a slot, n", and rearWardly-projecting tubular stump a, said stump being traversed by the spindle C,

2o whose hub D conceals the slot b of' the fixed dial, the inner cnd of said spindle being f'ur-' nished with a drivingdisk, J, having a gate, j, and pin j', one or more gated tumblers, as L Z Z', being journaled upon said stump a, and

25 a stop, fi, being provided within the lock-case,

as herein described, and for the purpose stated. 2. A permutation -lock spindle provided with a hub having a series of lettered or numbered peripheral sockets for the reception of a detachable pointer, substantially as herein described.

3. A permutation -lock spindle provided with a hub having a permanent false pointer and a series of lettered or numbered peripheral sockets for the reception of a detachable true pointer, substantially as herein described.

4:. A permutation-lock provided with a fixed dial, as B, slotted at b to allow a free reciprocation and turning ofthe spindle C, which spindle operates the bolt, driving-disk, and tumblers, as herein described, and has an eX- ternal hub, D, that conceals said slot, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, in a permutation-lock, of a spindle provided with an external hub, a detachable'pointer, and means for readily securing said pointer to said hub, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignaturein presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS S. SPIVEY. lVitnesses:

JAMns H. LAYMAN, S. S. CARPENTER. 

